Microsoft fined 561m for not showing browser ballot on Win7 SP1

The European Commission has fined Microsoft €561 ($730 million) for not complying with a three-year old agreement to give Windows users a selection of alternative browsers. In 2009, Microsoft faced an antitrust case with the EU that suggested the company abused its position...

Internet Explorer probably had earned Microsoft this fine, and quite a bit of spare change just from searches alone.

I agree with H3llion, it is stupid. If you own a computer and don't know there are choices for browsers, then you deserve Internet Explorer. It's like using one brand of gas or oil in the car because that's what a dealer suggested.

Is there any Computer, tablet or phone that has ever asked you which browser you want to use during setup?
Can't get another browser without a browser, and to solve that problem, every internet ready device since day one has come preloaded with one browser.

Why should Microsoft (and only microsoft) be forced to advertise competor's products.

WHY THE HECK DOES IT MATTER?! If you genuinely cared about the browser so much you'd just go and download it, it's not difficult! Either way, Microsoft make the bloody operating system, why shouldn't they be allowed to do it? If Google/ Nokia/ Mozilla hate it so much, they should just make their own desktop OS.

"To settle that investigation, Microsoft agreed to show Windows XP, Vista and 7 users a ballot screen that contained a randomly ordered list of downloadable alternative browsers. That effort began on February 22, 2010, but Microsoft slipped up a year later when it shipped Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) without the ballot. The selection screen remained absent for 14 months and European authorities eventually took notice."

MS agreed to settle that investigation by showing the users a ballot screen etc.etc.

They were given plenty of time to rectify the situation didn't and must now pay. What's wrong with that? It's about time these multibillion internationals feet are held to the fire.

They were given plenty of time to rectify the situation didn't and must now pay. What's wrong with that? It's about time these multibillion internationals feet are held to the fire.

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As much as I want the corporate bigwigs to cough up a little dough once in a while, that doesn't pardon the European Commission from enforcing this on Microsoft and no one else. Apple don't give users the option in set-up, but the EC haven't taken any action against them.

They were given plenty of time to rectify the situation didn't and must now pay. What's wrong with that? It's about time these multibillion internationals feet are held to the fire.

Click to expand...

As much as I want the corporate bigwigs to cough up a little dough once in a while, that doesn't pardon the European Commission from enforcing this on Microsoft and no one else. Apple don't give users the option in set-up, but the EC haven't taken any action against them.

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That being said, neither OSX or Linux hold 90+% of the world's desktop market share.

They were given plenty of time to rectify the situation didn't and must now pay. What's wrong with that? It's about time these multibillion internationals feet are held to the fire.

Click to expand...

As much as I want the corporate bigwigs to cough up a little dough once in a while, that doesn't pardon the European Commission from enforcing this on Microsoft and no one else. Apple don't give users the option in set-up, but the EC haven't taken any action against them.

Click to expand...

That being said, neither OSX or Linux hold 90+% of the world's desktop market share.

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And that matters how? Does/did the iPad offer users a choice on browsers? They dominated the tablet landscape. Actually, you can't even use IE on a ipad if you wanted to because Apple specifically denies browsers that doesn't use their webkit engine. This is nonsense no matter how you try to slice it.

They were given plenty of time to rectify the situation didn't and must now pay. What's wrong with that? It's about time these multibillion internationals feet are held to the fire.

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Whats wrong with that you ask. Can I answer with a question? Where does the fine money go? It's fine money meant for only one thing, make the collectors richer. It's not about proving a point, it's about the rich fighting each other while the guy at the bottom ultimately pays the price.

Sorry, you'll find no sympathy for MS here, especially given their past history at thumbing their nose at other settlements.They chose to ignore a legally binding settlement and now have to pay the price.

You obviously haven't been here very long, or you wouldn't be accusing me of being,"an Apple employee".

My post was pure derogatory snot, directed toward the Apple corporation. Do they offer browser balloting with their OS? Is "Safari" the best browser going? If the answer to either of those questions is "NO", then Apple is getting a free pass in the EU..

If you have any more misconceptions about my intent, feel free to quote me again.

As far as Apple "Buying", EU >> legislators<<, I doubt they are above that, any more than they are above buying US legislators, judges, and juries. That's pure speculation though, based on the massive jury award for, "the shape of the iPhone".

Indeed. It's likely a shell game / Ponzie scheme started by the World Monetary Fund. After Greece claims to have used it to bail itself out, it then will be transferred to Spain, and so forth. After the news headlines of "recovery(s)" have died down, the money will be returned to the governing members of the EU, who will then split it amongst themselves.

Indeed. It's likely a shell game / Ponzie scheme started by the World Monetary Fund. After Greece claims to have used it to bail itself out, it then will be transferred to Spain, and so forth. After the news headlines of "recovery(s)" have died down, the money will be returned to the governing members of the EU, who will then split it amongst themselves.

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This is not the right place to have political disputes, but come live here in Greece for a week and you will understand that the people living here don't need any bailout money, it's the politicians that f*ck up everything in our country...

Indeed. It's likely a shell game / Ponzie scheme started by the World Monetary Fund. After Greece claims to have used it to bail itself out, it then will be transferred to Spain, and so forth. After the news headlines of "recovery(s)" have died down, the money will be returned to the governing members of the EU, who will then split it amongst themselves.

Click to expand...

This is not the right place to have political disputes, but come live here in Greece for a week and you will understand that the people living here don't need any bailout money, it's the politicians that f*ck up everything in our country...

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Your people share the blame for the mess in your country. After all, you're the ones who vote the politicians in office in the first place.